Designers evoke the pain and pleasure of Africa

The grim and the glamorous faces of modern Africa were on show on the last day of London Fashion Week yesterday.

The designer-activist Katharine Hamnett led Naomi Campbell down the catwalk, the black model wearing shorts and a cropped top which spelled out the safe-sex message "Use A Condom" in diamante.

Hamnett, who has been campaigning for safe sex since the 1980s when she put condom pockets on underpants, has teamed up with Oxfam in its campaign to raise awareness and break HIV-related taboos in the developing world.

Backing Oxfam's bleak message that 40 million people around the world are infected by HIV-Aids, 28 million of them living in Africa, Hamnett said: "If we don't do something about it, it will mean the extinction of Africa."

Her chiffon wench-dresses, satin robes and cotton trench-coats, were accompanied by a range of Safe Sex T-shirts which the models wore tied around their hips or worn as strapless smocks.

Conran's imaginary journey through the continent of Africa gave rise to coconut-print shorts-suits, safari-style halter-necks and string bikinis in a lush palette of cocoa, tobacco and white.

Later Julien Macdonald rolled out the red carpet for his Hollywood glamour show.

The designer, who is one of five people nominated to win the British Designer of the Year at tonight's Lycra British Style Awards, firmly established himself as the worthy successor of the late Gianni Versace's glitzy crown with a ritzy, rock'n'roll circus of a show.

It was pure Absolutely Fabulous from the moment Naomi Campbell opened the show in a silver corset and scarlet shorts suit until Jacquetta Wheeler closed it in a fluorescent lime, cutaway halter and matching gladiator boots.

The collection was a Vargas pin-up fantasy of gorgeous girls in metallic minis, beaded micro-shorts, glitter-lace catsuits and glorious Technicolour kaftans over minuscule bikinis. Macdonald, 31, proved that "BritFash" has not lost its shine.